A 29-year-old Swiss woman drowned crossing a river in Alaska near the old school bus made famous in the book and movie "Into the Wild." The Associated Press and other outlets are reporting Claire Jane Ackermann was on her way to see the bus where Christopher McCandless spent his last days. This report from the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner says the man she was hiking with, who survived the river, denied they were going to see the bus that is featured in Jon Krakauer's book and in the 2007 movie that is based on it.

Whether Ackermann was on her way to the bus or not, there is no doubt about three things:

(1) There has been an increase in the number of people making a pilgrimage to the bus.